Cong, BRS misleading people on TG water rights; Bandi

Karimanagar: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Thursday launched a scathing attack on both the ruling Congress and BRS parties, accusing them of colluding in misleading people of Telangana regarding the State’s water rights. Addressing media in Karimnagar on Thursday, he accused the two parties of indulging in political theatrics to divert public attention from implementation of six guarantees and corruption investigations.

Sanjay Kumar charged Congress with failing Telangana in united Andhra Pradesh. While the state had been entitled to 811 TMC from Krishna River and 1,486 TMC from Godavari, Congress never enabled TG region to enjoy more than a fraction of its share. The Union minister for state targeted former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, accusing him of turning irrigation projects into tools of plunder. Budget for the Kaleshwaram project had been hiked from `30,000 crore to nearly `1 lakh crore just for misappropriation of funds. After returning to power for a second term, KCR again spent `27,000 crore in the name of Palamuru-Rangareddy project, yet failed to deliver even a single drop of water.

Sanjay Kumar maintained that the BJP-led central government repeatedly cautioned Telangana under KCR about safeguarding Krishna waters. He questioned why the Congress-led central government during AP’s bifurcation allowed the Palamuru-Rangareddy project to be excluded from the protections offered under Section 89 of the Reorganisation Act, which shields ongoing projects from facing impediments in future.

Sanjay Kumar alleged that BJP MLAs had been silenced in the State Legislative Assembly when they tried to expose these injustices. He asserted that the central government remains committed to ensuring that Telangana receives its rightful share of water once commission-driven governments are eliminated. He challenged BRS leader K. Kavitha to reveal the truth behind the political deals made during the high-profile meetings that she attended when KCR had been in power.